More than 1,000 people gathered in Washington, Wednesday, to show their solidarity with Israel.

The event was the first of 175 pro-Israel rallies that will take place across the U.S. over the next week.

A bi-partisan group of lawmakers expressed support for Israel's military action in Gaza, and reminded listeners that Hamas is not only an enemy of Israel, but of America as well.

"We, the American government, designated Hamas as a terrorist organization because it is responsible for the murder of 26 American citizens," Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk said. "If you live in Illinois , New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, California, North Carolina, Connecticut Pennsylvania or Florida, then the citizens of your state have been murdered by Hamas in terrorist actions in the Middle East."

The rallies are a counter to the huge anti-Israel demonstrations that have taken place throughout Europe and America.

Europe has seen a rash of anti-semitic incidents since Israel began rooting out Hamas terrorists in Gaza.